(Watts) "The idea
for the project itself, it wasn't supplied by a teacher. It was all us. We were
all really interested in this same thing. And we just got together and said,
‘Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we could put solar panels on the roof of the
school.' And so we just decided to go ahead and do it."

(Sneyd)
The Edge Academy in Essex Junction is one of 10 schools that will have
small solar arrays installed soon, thanks in large part to federal grants. The schools
themselves won't have to put up any money, unless they want a bigger project.

Silva
Warren worked on the project that will go up at the Folsom
School in South Hero.

(Warren) "We're
fitting what we get to the money. And we're hoping we can get a rebate. I'm not
sure where it's from. But it's a rebate, I think it's $5,000 to $8,000 is the
maximum."

(Sneyd)
Senator Bernie Sanders created the program that's providing the $500,000 for
the schools.

He
hosted a lunch at a Burlington elementary school to celebrate the projects and
conducted a seminar of sorts with the students on renewable energy.

(Sanders) "Who can tell me what we mean
by energy, what does it mean to be energy efficient? ... Come on up."

(Student) "Energy efficiency is using
the energy we have as well as we can so we can get the most amount out of the
small amount that we need."

(Sneyd)
Sanders soon learned that, to win the money, these kids have spent a lot of
time researching energy.

And
that, he says, is as valuable as the small amounts of power that will be
produced from their projects.

(Sanders) "Oh, it's just extraordinary.
Many of these kids have actually worked on the grant proposals themselves. ... I
think what we're doing in the schools is getting kids excited about solar in
particular, sustainable energy in general. I think that's a tremendous learning
opportunity."

(Sneyd)
Some of the schools also see this as a learning opportunity for their
communities.

Jen
Stainton is a science teacher at the Woodstock Union Middle-High School.

(Stainton) "It makes a statement, a
large statement, that our community wants to hear, that our school cares about
sustainability, actually really wants renewable resources on our school. So
we're really answering the community call for that."

(Sneyd)
Most of the schools will be able to generate less than 10 kilowatts of
electricity from their systems. That will account for only 5 percent or so of
most of the schools' total demand.

But
some of the budding entrepreneurs and engineers at the schools have even
grander plans to generate more energy.

Just
ask Nathan Watts from Essex Junction.

(Nathan) "We're really just trying to
get as much money as possible because the more the better, really."

(Sneyd)
Green Mountain Power is chipping in a few thousand. The students are also
looking at an incentive from the state and may apply for more grants to expand
their project.